Gameshows killing each other

Curtain-raisers:

• Patricia Javier’s role in Tatarin, Viva Films’ possible entry at the 2001 Metrofest (starring, among others, Dina Bonnevie, Edu Manzano, Rica Peralejo and Carlos Morales), was originally intended for actress "J." But one shooting day, Dina and "J" arrived together on the set in Bulacan and the fans naturally went wild only over Dina, completely ignoring "J" who believes that she is of "international" caliber. That incident hurt the ego of "J" who there and then quit the movie. Her loss is Patricia’s gain.

• Diorella Maria Sotto, daughter of Sen. Tito Sotto and Helen Gamboa, is getting married to Francis Vincent, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dioscoro de Leon, Jr. (nee Remedios Valenton), on Dec. 11 at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City. Reception follows at The NBC Tent at The Fort, Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila.

• Anthony Castelo’s Long Live America! (music by Anthony himself who also wrote the words with Becca Godinez) was presented as a gift from the Filipino people by President GMA to US President George W. Bush during GMA’s recent US visit (last Nov. 20 which marked the 50th anniversary of the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty). Anthony himself sang the song during the ceremonies.

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The hot pandesal/shawarma gaya-gaya-/puto-maya mentality will very surely soon cut short the current TV gameshow fad. As it is, television is overcrowded with gameshows – Game KNB? on ABS-CBN; Korek na Korek Ka D’yan on GMA; Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link on IBC 13; and Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right on ABC 5.

The gameshows are on the same timeslot and since it’s impossible for televiewers to watch all of them (you can’t switch channels without missing important details, can you?), televiewers are left with no other choice but to watch only one (sorry to whichever show is the weakest link – goodbye!). So at the rate these gameshows are going, they’re fast killing each other. Matira ang matibay.

It’s a Filipino thing, really. When somebody puts up a hot pandesal business and it makes good, everybody puts up his own hot pandesal business and, in the process, drives everybody else out of business. That’s what also happened to the shawarma "fad," remember?

It’s a pity because we learn a lot from all these gameshows whose writers go through painstaking (I’m sure) research on what "tricky" questions to ask usually nervous contestants. These shows are at once fun to watch and educational.

Now, can you guess in 10 seconds which of these gameshows will last? My final answer? Stand by.

Mitch OPM president ‘for life’?

There has been a moratorium on elections so Mitch Valdes has been the president of the OPM (Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mangaawit) for more than 11 years now, coming after Celeste Legaspi and Jim Paredes. OPM has more than 450 members comprising 95 percent of active singers/musicians today.

Among other causes OPM has been fighting for are entitlements for members, financial and medical aids ("Except for child birth, in or out of wedlock") and copyrights. It’s a thankless job, according to Mitch who has to do it because nobody else, so far, would.

This Christmas season, OPM members are undertaking a carolling project for the benefit of orphans and residents of the Home for the Aged (Golden Acres).

(Note: Mitch is one of the performers in Sounds & Laughter, slated on Dec. 7 and 8 at Country Waffles in Greenhills, produced by the Royale ERA Productions of Ruffa Gutierrez and family, headed by Ruffa’s mom Annabelle Rama. Other performers are Tina Paner, Jessa Zaragoza, Dulce, Selina Sevilla, Jinky Llamanzares, Allan K. and Yam Ledesma.)

Correction, please!

Reader Jose D. Patao, himself a "beauty expert," is calling Funfare’s attention to some errors in reader Miguel Herrera’s report on Miss Asia. Here’s Patao’s letter:

Dear Ricky Lo:

This letter is in reaction to Funfare’s Nov. 10 issue on the Top Five Favorite Miss Asia Pacific winners sent by Mike Herrera of Cabanatuan City. As an avid beauty pageant follower like your "beauty expert quartet," there are a few errors that need to be rectified.

Mike Herrera used the wrong photo for Miss Asia Pacific ’92 Tali BenHarush of Israel. The photo published was that of Miss Israel Dorit Kadosh who was Bong Dimayacyac’s 1st runner-up in the Miss Asia ’83 pageant. Mike, likewise, used a wrong photo for Korea’s Wong Kyung Suh (Miss Asia 1969). The photo published was that of a Miss Korea in the Miss Universe Pageant many many years back; Wong Kyung Suh never joined any Miss Universe pageant. His info on Papua New Guinea’s Eva Arni (Miss Asia ’75) was also erroneous. Arni represented Papua New Guinea in the Miss Universe Pageant in Hong Kong in 1976, not before she won the Miss Asia Quest in 1975 as Mike reported; Arni never competed in the now-defunct Queen of the Pacific tilt (based in Melbourne, Australia).

As a regular reader of your column, I felt it was necessary to correct the erroneous data fed by Mr. Herrera. At the same time, I fully understand your generosity in a accomodating (and publishing) contributions/reactions from your readers, which of course, you do in good faith.

Thank you very much and more power.